North Korea lashed out yesterday over South Korea’s diplomatic drive at the UN Security Council against Pyongyang over the sinking of one of Seoul’s warships.
Seoul has called on the Security Council to respond to the alleged torpedo attack by the North on the Cheonan in March to prevent any further “provocation” by the reclusive regime.
However, the Minju Joson, an official North Korean mouthpiece, said South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was engaged in a “conspiracy with US and Japanese masters” against his fellow Koreans.
“The Lee group’s hectic diplomacy over the ship sinking is absolutely intolerable as it is a treacherous crime aimed at internationalizing the case and [to] hurt and stifle fellow countrymen,” it said.
It reiterated the North’s denial of any involvement in the sinking of the 1,200 tonne corvette that was torn apart by a blast near the disputed Yellow Sea border in March, claiming the lives of 46 sailors.
South Korea on Friday formally asked for the UN Security Council to take up the matter after a multinational probe found last month that a North Korean torpedo sank the warship.
Seoul said it wants the 15-member body to “respond in a manner appropriate to the gravity of North Korea’s military provocation in order to deter recurrence of any further provocation by North Korea.”
The South has announced a series of reprisals, including cutting off trade with the cash-strapped North, in the wake of the deadliest peace-time tragedy for the country since the end of the Korean War.
Pyongyang has denied any role in the sinking and has responded to the reprisals with threats of war, sending regional tensions soaring.
In order to secure a UN censure resolution against the North, Seoul must win support from veto-wielding council members Russia and China, which have been close to Pyongyang.
Russia, which has said it needs “100 percent proof” of the North’s involvement, sent a team of naval experts to South Korea last week to review findings of the probe and visit the site of the sinking.
The South Koreans have also asked China to send its own experts, but Beijing has not responded, media reports said.
At a three-way summit last weekend, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) resisted pressure from Japanese and South Korean leaders to publicly support the UN move or to condemn the North, calling instead for calm.
Yonhap news agency, citing unnamed government sources, said yesterday that Seoul was considering sending a high-level envoy to Beijing soon to secure its backing at the Security Council.
Hong Kong’s Sunday Morning Post newspaper said Seoul was considering deploying Patriot anti-missile batteries on its soil, a move that would risk angering Beijing, Officials in Seoul could not immediately confirm the reports.
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